Re: <nettime> Sounds like it could be handy

["Mr. Bad" <mr.bad@pigdog.org>]

>>>>> "BS" == Bruce Sterling <bruces@well.com> writes:

    BS> At present, over 800 out of a planned total of 1001 titles are
    BS> available, all from Prelinger Archives.  All may be downloaded
    BS> and reused for free, with no restrictions other than that the
    BS> films cannot be resold or licensed by anyone in their entirety
    BS> or as stock footage.  Our intention is that these titles
    BS> should circulate freely as "open-source" content.

I just got a copy of this announcement, and although I'm happy to see
an effort to make some Free Content available, overall I think it
stinks.

First of all, putting restrictions on further use that don't do
anything to guarantee freedom is NOT what Open Source is about. I
highly recommend that you read the Open Source Institute's Open Source
Definition:

        http://www.opensource.org/docs/definition.html

Specifically, Open Source software can be sold for money. Why can't I
sell your archived movies? Or show them in a theater? Why? Why? Why?

Second, if most of the movies are in the public domain, why try to put
-any- restrictions on them?

Gar gar gar'ing,

~Mr. Bad

-- 
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